GREENS
GREENS
GREENS
&
&
&
BL
BL
BL
L
UES
UES
UES
B
B
U
U
I
I
L
L
D
D
I
I
N
N
G
G
S
S
U
U
S
S
T
T
A
A
I
I
N
N
B
B
L
L
E
E
G
G
UI
UI
T
T
A
A
R
R
S
S
FRANK XU
THIS BLOGPOST IS DEDICATED TO THE GUITAR LEGEND
EDDIE VAN HALEN, WHO PASSED AWAY 2 YEARS AGO.
Introduction
Had you ever heard
of
the song Greens and Blues
b
y
P
i
x
i
e
s
,
y
o
u
m
i
g
h
t
r
e
c
og
n
i
z
e
h
a
l
f
o
f
t
h
e
t
i
t
l
e
.
T
h
e
’90s permanent wave and alternative rock
classic played an indispensable role in cultivating
me
to
a rock
f
a
n
a
s
w
e
ll
a
s
a
g
u
i
t
a
r
a
f
i
c
i
o
n
ad
o
.
F
o
r
m
a
n
y
people, the modern
art of
guitar is
embedded in the figure
of
Jimi Hendrix, who plays
his iconic wild
BLUES on a 1964 Fender Strat with a
ROSEWOOD
n
e
c
k
.
Y
e
t t
h
e
a
r
t
o
f
g
u
i
t
a
r
,
a
s
w
e
ll
a
s
i
t
s
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
,
evolved over the past decades and
became more and more GREEN in recent years.
My blogpost is
going to shed a light on the
measures, policies, and
l
a
w
s
o
n sus
t
a
i
n
ab
l
e
g
u
i
t
a
r
p
r
o
d
u
c
t
i
o
n
.
G
i
v
e
n
t
h
e
c
o
m
p
l
e
x
i
t
y
o
f
g
u
i
t
a
r
c
o
m
p
o
s
i
t
i
o
n
,
i
n
c
l
u
d
i
n
g
i
t
s h
e
ad
,
n
e
c
k
,
b
o
d
y
,
b
r
i
d
g
e
,
e
t
c
.
,
m
ad
e
f
r
o
m
d
i
ff
e
r
e
n
t
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
s
,
t
h
i
s
a
r
t
i
c
l
e
w
i
ll
o
n
l
y
f
o
c
us
o
n
the main material
–
tone woods
–
which serves for bodies and necks (head and
neck are usually carved as a whole, and some
guitars like Strandberg are headless.).
Jimi Hendrix
Rosewood/
Maple
Neck
https://www.amazon.
com/Guitar-Neck-
Canada-Maple-
Fret/dp/B08BBKVN1
W
As mentioned previously, the neck of the
1964 Fender Strat was made of rosewood,
so were those of many other vintage
g
u
i
t
a
r
s
.
Ma
r
t
i
n
T
a
y
l
o
r
w
e
r
e
t
h
e
f
i
r
s
t
o
n
e
t
o
use rosewood for acoustic guitars and
follows Gibson, which consumed
¾
of the
rosewood in the guitar industry (Black, 2013).
A lot of guitarists are obsessed with the
vintage rosewood fingerboards (some necks
are combinations of rosewood fingerboards
a
n
d
m
ap
l
e
b
o
tt
o
m
s
.
)
f
o
r
i
t
s s
t
ab
i
l
i
t
y
,
t
o
n
e
,
and the smooth feel on the surface for
s
h
r
e
dd
i
n
g
(
g
e
n
e
r
a
ll
y
r
e
f
e
r
s
t
o
f
a
s
t
,
v
i
r
t
u
o
s
o
playing). However, their obsession might
have to end. From 2005 to 2015, it is
estimated that in total 9874 tons of
r
o
s
e
w
oo
d
h
ad b
ee
n
i
ll
e
ga
ll
y
t
r
ad
e
d
.
Excessive rosewood logging has a lot of
n
e
ga
t
i
v
e e
n
v
i
r
o
n
m
e
n
t
a
l
i
m
pa
c
t
s
,
i
n
c
l
u
d
i
n
g
r
e
d
u
c
t
i
o
n
i
n
b
i
o
d
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
,
i
n
c
r
e
a
s
e
i
n
likelihood of forest fires, and degrading soil
f
e
r
t
i
l
i
t
y
(
B
a
rr
e
tt
e
t
a
l
.
,
2
0
1
0
)
.
T
o
p
r
e
v
e
n
t t
h
e
extinction of rosewoods and reduce the
negative impact of logging, CITES
(
Co
n
v
e
n
t
i
o
n
o
n
I
n
t
e
r
n
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
T
r
ad
e
i
n
Endangered Species) decided to ban
rosewood trading on 2nd January, 2017. As
a
r
e
s
u
l
t
,
m
u
s
i
c
i
a
n
s
w
e
r
e
n
o
t
a
ll
o
w
e
d
t
o
travel with rosewood guitars when crossing
b
o
r
d
e
r
s
o
n
t
o
u
r
,
l
e
t
a
l
o
n
e
t
r
ad
i
n
g
instruments made of rosewood.
3
Although the ban on rosewood instruments is moving to sustainability, it’s hard to
intuitively consider it fair to ban an instrument made of rosewood less 10 kilograms.
The main contributor of rosewood being endangered is the furniture industry that has
a great market in China. According to Annah Lake Zhu, the Chinese furniture market,
with an estimated value of 26 billions of USD, depletes the most rosewood resources
for making antique furniture following a cultural renaissance. Hence, as the majority
expected, the ban on rosewood-made instruments was lifted in August, 2019. The new
policy excluded all the other species except for the Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra)
for musicians. In light of this measure, the APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, being in charge of species protected
under either the U.S. Endangered Species Act
(
r
o
se
w
oo
d
s
a
r
e
n
o
t
un
d
e
r
i
t
s
p
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
,
s
in
c
e
t
h
e
y
’
r
e e
x
o
t
i
c
)
o
r
C
I
T
E
S
,
r
e
g
u
l
a
t
es
t
h
e
entry of instruments made of Brazilian
rosewoods. The APHIS’s regulation on rosewoodis based on the Lacey Act, which
combats unlawful trafficking of wild faunas and floras. To trade rosewood-made
instruments, an individual has to apply for a valid Protected Plant Permit by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, according to part 335, Code of Federal Regulations. In spite
of the regulations, some companies are still involved in illegal wood trading. In 2011,
Gibson were sued to trade Brazilian rosewood as well as other species like Madagscar
ebony and Mahogany.
In addition to the American regulations, it is also worth paying attention to their
counterparts in Europe and Asia, where mainstream guitar companies like Höfner
(
G
e
r
m
a
n
y
)
a
n
d
I
b
a
n
e
z
(
f
r
o
m J
a
p
a
n
,
h
a
v
in
g
a
l
o
t
o
f f
a
c
t
o
r
i
es
in
C
hin
a
.
)
l
o
c
a
t
es
.
T
h
e
E
U
was relatively tolerant to rosewood-made instruments. Right after the ban in 2017, the
EU didn’t prohibit individuals and households to carry a rosewood-made instrument
below 10 kilograms in their luggage. For music ensembles, as long as each member
doesn’t carry such an instrument over 10 kilograms, they will be permitted to travel
with the instruments. Besides, the EU also exempted non-commercial trade of
rosewood-made instrument, and non-commercial trade includes personal use,
performances, competitions, repairments, and loans. In Asia, Myanmar and peninsular
Malaysia, where some rosewood species grows, had banned rosewood logging in 2014.
China regulates logging but not trading. The Chinese National Department of Forestry
and Grasslands and CITES MA in China only serves to supervise illegal trafficking and
logging of national protected species (Zhang & Chen, 2022). So far, companies like
Ibanez could still import and export rosewood
(
g
ui
t
a
r
s
)
from their
C
hin
ese
f
a
c
t
o
r
i
es
.
4
Pau Ferro
Since the ban on rosewood in 2017, Fender has been switching to Pau
F
e
rr
o
w
oo
d
s
f
o
r
g
u
i
t
a
r
f
i
n
g
e
r
b
o
a
r
d
s
.
G
u
i
t
a
r
s
w
i
t
h
P
a
u
F
e
rr
o
f
i
n
g
e
r
b
o
a
r
d
s
a
r
e
mo
s
t
p
r
o
d
u
c
e
d
i
n
F
e
n
d
e
r
’
s
M
e
x
i
c
a
n
f
a
c
t
o
r
i
e
s
,
w
h
i
c
h
focuses on building non-custom and non-vintage series. The most
common player series, which I play, are made of Pau Ferro woods as well.
Personally, I find it a graceful substitution for rosewood, just as Fender
a
ll
e
g
e
d
,
‘
s
n
app
y
a
tt
a
c
k
,
c
r
e
a
t
i
n
g
a
c
r
i
s
p
,
c
l
e
a
r
s
o
un
d
.
’
P
a
u
F
e
rr
o
i
s
not a
novelty following the ban on rosewoods in 2017. In the 80s, Stevie Ray
Vaughan led the second wave of southern blues over his Pau-Ferro-
made signature g
u
i
t
a
r
.
F
o
r
t
un
a
t
e
l
y
and
un
f
o
r
t
un
a
t
e
l
y
,
P
a
u
F
e
rr
o
i
s
n
o
t
l
i
s
t
e
d b
y
C
I
T
E
S,
and so far there’s no restrictions on Pau Ferro. Yet we
might not have to
worry about it, since they only serve for the music
industry. Unlike rosewood, they are not popular in the
f
u
r
n
i
t
u
r
e
i
n
d
u
s
t
r
y.
Maple
People often compare maple necks with their rosewoods counterparts.
A
l
o
t
o
f
h
i
g
h
-
e
n
d
g
u
i
t
a
r
s
a
r
e
also
m
ad
e
o
f
maple wood.
Some ‘maple necks’ refer
to an entire neck made of maple, while some means the back that holds the
f
i
n
g
e
r
b
o
a
r
d
m
ad
e
o
f
o
t
h
e
r
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
ls
.
Maple woods are also a sustainable
choice.
I
n
addition to its rich sound and endurance, maple woods are
famous for its
t
e
x
t
u
r
e
.
Its
s
m
oo
t
h
f
ee
l
m
ad
e
i
t t
h
e
m
o
s
t
ad
o
r
e
d neck back
,
w
h
e
r
e
guitarists anchor their palms. A smooth neck back makes it easier for
players to flexibly move around the entire neck, especially during
improvisations. Ecologically speaking, maple woods are pretty promising as
well. Maple woods grows at a staggering rate of
1
c
u
b
i
c
m
e
t
e
r
/
3
.
3
1
s
.
T
h
e
g
r
o
w
t
h
o
f
A
m
e
r
i
c
a
n h
a
r
d
m
ap
l
e e
x
c
ee
d
s
i
t
s
h
a
r
v
e
s
t
,
resulting in a net
increase of 8.8 M cubic meters per year. The increase of itsp
o
p
u
l
a
t
i
o
n
can
facilitate c
a
r
b
o
n
s
e
q
u
e
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
.
Moreover
,
as a native species (mainly in New
England), American hard maple
reduces
t
h
e
c
a
r
b
o
n
f
oo
t
p
r
i
n
t
s from
transportation
.
T
h
e
f
i
g
u
r
e
b
e
l
o
w
d
e
m
o
n
s
t
r
a
t
e
s
other sustainable factors of
maple woods. However, certain maple species are concerned by the
international community. In 2015, the Lacey Act coped with the illegal
harvesting
o
f
b
i
g
l
e
a
f
m
ap
l
e
i
n
G
i
ff
o
r
d
P
i
n
c
h
o
t
N
a
t
i
o
n
F
o
r
e
s
t
.
Anyway
,
maple
woods still remain a sustainable choice, since
more tropical woods might be
endangered in the near future
.
5
Body
SRV
https://ultimatecla
ssicrock.com/stevi
e-ray-vaughan-
dies/
The discussion on body would be modest compare to the previous
t
e
x
t
s
,
s
i
n
c
e
w
e’
v
e
a
l
r
e
ad
y
r
e
v
i
e
w
e
d
t
h
e
m
o
s
t
c
o
n
t
r
o
v
e
r
s
i
a
l
r
o
s
e
w
oo
d
.
Mahogany
Mahogany woods are widely used for guitar bodies. Like many other
endangered wood species listed by CITES, Mahogany is one of the tropical
woods that are distributed in central America, Bolivia, and Brazil. Since I’ve
n
e
v
e
r
p
l
a
y
e
d a Ma
h
og
a
n
y
-
m
ad
e
g
u
i
t
a
r
,
t
h
e
w
o
r
d
s
b
e
l
o
w
a
r
e
t
o
t
a
ll
y
t
a
k
e
n
f
r
o
m
comments online
:
‘
Ma
h
og
a
n
y
i
s
b
e
tt
e
r
a
t
c
r
e
a
t
i
n
g
r
e
s
o
n
a
n
c
e
a
n
d
w
a
r
m
t
o
n
e
s
.’
T
hat might be the
m
a
j
o
r r
e
a
s
o
n
w
h
y
i
t
’
s
ad
o
r
e
d b
y
a
l
o
t
o
f
p
l
a
y
e
r
s
f
o
r
acoustic track recording
.
Ma
h
og
a
n
y
w
a
s
l
i
s
t
e
d b
y
C
I
T
E
S
pretty
early.
Mexican Mahogany was listed in 1975, Cuban and Honduran ones being
listed in 1992 and 1995. In November 2003, the international community
agreed on regulations for bigleaf Mahogany businesses. Following this
m
e
a
s
u
r
e
,
E
S
A
(
E
n
da
n
g
e
r
e
d
S
p
e
c
i
e
s
Act, in the U.S.
)
barred
Mahogany from
trading and possessions
.
U
n
f
o
r
t
un
a
t
e
l
y
,
G
i
b
s
o
n
company s
t
i
ll
possesses illegal
Mahogany woods.
6
Ash & Alder
Ash and Alder are common materials
for
electric guitar bodies. Ash is considered
to
b
e
g
oo
d a
t t
a
k
i
n
g
f
i
n
i
s
h
(
t
h
e
c
o
l
o
r
e
d
l
a
y
e
r
on the body). The swamp Ash, distributed in
southern
U.S.,
has good resonance
for
its
s
o
f
t
n
e
ss
a
n
d p
o
r
o
s
i
t
y
.
Co
m
pa
r
e
d
t
o
A
s
h
,
Alder is not that excellent but cheaper and
more accessible. Its habitats range from
Tropic
of
C
a
n
c
e
r
t
o
p
o
l
a
r
a
r
e
a
s
.
C
u
rr
e
n
t
l
y
,
o
n
l
y
A
s
h
(
F
r
a
x
i
nu
s
Ma
n
d
s
hu
r
i
c
a
,
a
s
p
e
c
i
e
f
r
o
m
Russia) is listed by CITES and
subsequently
banned by the
EU.
Although
the American
m
a
r
k
e
t
i
s
n
o
t
a
ff
e
c
t
e
d by
this measure
,
F
e
n
d
e
r
h
a
s
r
e
c
e
n
t
l
y
been
replacing Ash
–
the DNA of its sound
–
to
Alder. In 2019, Fender received the worst
swamp Ash harvesting due
to
the flood in
the Mississippi River.
E
rratic precipitations
due to climate change is a major threat to
swamp Ash woods
.
John Frusciante
holding a Martin 015
made of Mahogany
while recording Road
Trippin'
https://www.groundguitar.com/jo
hn-frusciante-gear/john-
frusciantes-1940s-martin-0-15/
Alder
Ash
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i
ndex.php?threads/poll-telecaster-
body-wood-alder-ash-or-it-doesnt-
matter.2203113/page-2
7
Discussion and Vision
T
h
e
c
u
rr
e
n
t
r
e
g
u
l
a
t
i
o
n
s
o
n
t
o
n
e
w
oo
d
s
a
r
e
far from sufficient. For example,
for
the threat of climate change, we might need to regulate the exploitation of
swamp Ash. Meanwhile, stricter market regulations and penalties should be
imposed to address illegal transactions, as seen in the case of Gibson.
Interestingly, Gibson is currently facing bankruptcy, which raises questions
about its ability to meet tax obligations and fines. As part of the solution, we
could consider imposing VAT taxes on guitars made from illegally sourced
woods. Moreover, why not explore subsidy-based solutions? Take Gibson,
for example: the company has struggled with deficits while trying to preserve
its traditional identity. This commitment to legacy has garnered more
criticism than praise from modern players. One of Gibson's key challenges
has been its lack of innovation over the years. A lot of players complain
about the inaccessibility of the higher frets frustrating, and many are
indifferent to the ‘vintage tones’ from the tonewoods, given the accessibility
of more and more advanced audio techs. Subsidies could help Gibson break
free from this cycle, fostering innovation and eventually phasing out illegally
sourced woods. This approach could also benefit other companies in similar
situations, especially as the guitar market has become increasingly
monopolized. For instance, did you know that Jackson and Charvel, once
independent, are now owned by Fender to cater to metal players? In this
context, it’s only reasonable to hold larger corporations accountable for
sustainable practices. Additionally, subsidies could be extended to civil
groups. In 2016, Tom Bedell launched the "Musicians for Forests" campaign
to protect Alaska’s over-logged Sitka Spruce. Initiatives like this, driven by
passionate individuals, deserve funding and support.
Guitar builders could also consider more unconventional species. For example, bamboo
is among
t
h
e
m
o
s
t
f
a
s
t-
g
r
o
w
i
n
g
w
oo
d
i
n
t
h
e
w
o
r
l
d, and it’s highly managable.
U
s
e
d
f
o
r
f
l
u
t
e
s
a
n
d
X
i
a
o
(
a
C
h
i
n
e
s
e
i
n
s
t
r
u
m
e
n
t
,
a v
e
r
t
i
c
a
l
f
l
u
t
e
)
,
ba
m
b
oo
h
a
s
a
r
i
c
h
t
o
n
e
a
n
d
c
a
n
l
a
s
t
l
o
n
g
,
t
oo
.
More importantly
,
experienced players would
argue that the tone is dictated by the finish but not the wood, while modern
players are less dependent on tonewoods. Instead, they expand tone ranges
via digital pedals and advanced audio programming. In the end, as a geek
who grinds for guitar every day, I’d love to reveal a truth to you: the key of
your tone is not your wood, your pedals, your amp, or the software you install.
It’s your hands.
S
o
,
c
h
oo
s
e
s
u
s
t
a
i
n
ab
l
e
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
s
,
k
ee
p
s
h
r
e
dd
i
n
g
,
play blues
and more GREENS. I’ll see you on stage in a more sustainable future.
8
References
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https://www.americanhardwood.org/en/american-hardwood/american-hard-maple
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APHIS. (2020b, September 24). USDA APHIS | CITES (Endangered Plant Species). Usda.gov.
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guitar-maple
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